Can Debra effectively provide therapy for the goals Stephanie has described? How might her effectiveness be affected by disclosure?

Question

Debra Masters, a social worker in private practice, conducted an initial interview with Stephanie Railsback, a young woman also working in the helping professions, who was conflicted about her sexual orientation. Debra was a lesbian herself, open, but discreetly so. As the interview proceeded Debra was increasingly distracted by the question of whether she should disclose her sexual orientation to this client and, if so, when. Her anxiety intensified to such a degree that she had to leave the interview to compose herself and decide what to do to resolve this dilemma.

Answer 1

In the technical sense, Debra has the training and experience to be an effective therapist for Stephanie. However, the consequences of Debra’s decision about whether to disclose can only be speculated. If she chooses to disclose and the disclosure is interpreted by Stephanie as something that adds value to the therapeutic relationship and process, then it is likely that the therapy can have a positive outcome. If the disclosure is made at the wrong time or if it is negatively interpreted by Stephanie, it has the potential to seriously damage the therapeutic effort. How recoverable such damage might be can only be speculated, but it could be considered avoidable harm to the client.